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Reviews The Drunken City By Adam Bock Reviewed by Keith Waits Entire contents copyright © 2009, Keith Waits, all rights reserved.
 Sarah East, Cara Hicks, Leah Roberts (photo by Bill Brymer) Three young women enter, flashing newly acquired diamond rings and squealing with delight at their good fortune at being simultaneously engaged. If the opening moments of The Drunken City seem to be preparing us for a frothy and shallow situation comedy, it is but a tease, as this play has some deeper, more introspective currents to explore. After a brief prologue that hints at the darker undertones waiting ahead, the plot develops around the three friends having a night on the town as the bachelorette party for Marnie (Sarah East). Along the way they encounter two equally inebriated men, Frank (Jeremy Sapp), and Eddie (Gil D. Reyes), and in no time at all Marnie and Frank are unexpectedly feeling a connection. As everyone begins to react to this complication, the sit-com mechanics give way to some starker and more realistic conflicts, as the script explores how small moments become epiphanies; turning points in how we choose to live our lives. The simple setting included a couple of lampposts and benches, but, with nicely controlled lighting, was just enough to evoke a lonely, late-night cityscape, and clever use was made of hanging frames that shifted during key moments when the action of the play seemed to suggest seismic incidents that reflected the shifting tone of the material as well as the changing dynamics among the characters. All of which framed some carefully judged and beautifully detailed acting. This is a cast that knows how to discover and fully exploit the space between the lines of dialogue. Having seen Jeremy Sapp in several productions now, he is consistently one of the most interesting actors around, and this is his best work yet. With subtlety and tenderness, he illustrates the vulnerability of someone whose heart is newly broken, and he offers a scene of exquisite physical comedy and pathos towards the end that is truly memorable. Sarah East is his match as Marnie, wry and funny, her timing and delivery here is genius, effortlessly delivering multiple levels of meaning in a single spoken word and reminding us of the old maxim that good acting is reacting. The program notes inform us of a pending move to another city for Ms. East, and Louisville theatre is the lesser for it. But these two exemplary performances only lead a strong and confident ensemble, and the script allows each of them to impact a grateful audience. Leah Roberts and Cara Hicks were fury and contemplation, respectively, as Marnie's friends, and each is allowed several moments to register fully with both humor and sadness. Joe Hatfield overcomes the hindrance of a late introduction in the action, as Bob, a bakery owner who is a friend to the three women and, eventually Eddie. As for Gil D. Reyes, his comic timing and charming moments displaying his tap-dancing skills are just a gloss on the finer points of a most interesting performance. For all of its obvious humor and entertainment value, the story is restrained; never overreaching for maudlin effect or easy solutions. In the end, the play is less concerned with building an artificial climax than in leaving its characters still on a journey, but just a little farther down the path than when we first met them.
The Drunken City
October 1-3 & 8-10
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